A new true crime documentary on Channel 4 is set to examine the murder of journalist Lyra McKee, who was shot dead in Derry in 2019. The programme, titled The Murder Detectives, premieres on Wednesday, August 26, and follows the seven-year investigation into her death.
Inside the investigation
The observational documentary tells the inside story of the mission to find out who murdered the 29-year-old. Its synopsis describes how a murder investigation becomes a seven-year-long mission to identify those responsible, secure justice for McKee's family, and take on the New IRA, the organisation that claimed responsibility for her death.
Senior Investigating Officer Jason Murphy and his team begin the hunt for a masked gunman who seems to have disappeared without trace. With the murder weapon missing and not one of the 150 people on the street when McKee was killed willing to come forward, detectives must painstakingly uncover the truth for themselves. McKee's sister Nichola struggles with the devastating loss.
Lyra McKee's life and career
Born in Belfast in 1990, McKee began writing for her school newspaper at St Gemma's High School when she was 14. She joined the staff of the news aggregator Mediagazer in 2011, before gaining wide recognition in 2014 for her blog writing about her childhood in Northern Ireland. She went on to write articles for The Atlantic, The Belfast Telegraph and BuzzFeed News. In 2016, Forbes named her among its '30 under 30 in media' for her work as an investigative reporter.
The murder and its aftermath
On April 18, 2019, McKee was shot and killed when a dissident republican gunman opened fire during rioting in Derry [Londonderry]. Her funeral was attended by then Prime Minister Theresa May and Irish President Michael D Higgins. The New IRA, a dissident republican paramilitary group, said it carried out the killing. Three men were found not guilty of her murder last month.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland's (PSNI) Major Investigation Team said it was continuing to seek information on those responsible, particularly the gunman who carried out the attack. Supporting the appeal is the Independent charity Crimestoppers, which is offering a cash reward for information provided directly to the charity that leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.
PSNI Det Ch Insp Hazel Miller said McKee's family 'deserve answers' and to see those responsible brought to justice. She stated: "My thoughts remain, above all else, with Lyra's loving family and friends. Her murder robbed them of a much-loved daughter, sister, partner, friend and colleague, and they have had to live with the pain of that loss every day since."
According to Det Miller, officers have been working 'tirelessly and with determination' to bring those responsible to justice for over seven years, noting that the commitment to the investigation 'remains as strong today as it was on the day Lyra was killed'. The Murder Detectives airs on Channel 4 at 9pm on Wednesday, August 26.
